You don't have to be here (But I am)
by evieebun125
Summary: A fill for the fourth prompt from the erasermight zine twitter in anticipation of their apps opening Prompt: "You don't have to be here. I didn't ask you to be" "Yeah, but you need someone right now."


Contrary to popular belief All Might was not late as often as the teacher's gossips. Occasionally before he'd lost his strength he would find himself fighting crime and cutting it close. However after Kamino he could be found haunting the main building well before the sun rose.

The sun had peaked over the horizon well over and hour ago and a sense of unease was building. Aizawa once would have said he didn't care what the number one hero did. If he wanted to stain his academic record and get himself fired then he would have been all for it. That was then; now he could feel the slivering of anxiety in his gut. It rolled and left him shifting in his seat, his phone felt like a brick in the pocket of his jumpsuit.

He wasn't sure if he would admit it aloud, but he cared about the retired hero. He was no longer All Might but Toshinori, a man who quietly accompanied Shouta for drinks but always ordered himself water. They would laminate about the children and they would grade together and share a quiet laugh.

If Shouta got to out of hand he knew that he could count on the other to bring him home and make sure he was secure. They shared a strong bond of trust and it ate at him, told him something was wrong.

He handed his class off to Mic and he boarded a train to a part of town that was not run down but it was not unheard of to have crime in the area. Burying his face in his capture weapon he opened the door to the small lobby and ascended the staircase.

His breathing was a little strained and his cheeks flushed with exertion by the time he reached the door of his co-worker and friend.

After a moment of hesitation he rapped his knuckles on the hardwood door baring his way. A moment passed before he did it again, he needed him to know that he wasn't leaving. After a third assault on his friend's door he heard shuffling and wet coughing.

The door cracked open a fraction and a blue eye peaked out. Aizawa raised a scarred hand in greeting before the door opened a little wider.

"Ah, Aizawa-kun, what are you doing here?" His voice was hoarse and scratchy, he must have been ill. Shouta wondered if he was alone in there, his co-workers health wasn't the best and he knew that a cold would be no joke to a man with such a butchered immune system.

"I came to check on you, you weren't at school" He cocked his head to side in question and with a jerky nod Toshinori opened his door wider in invitation.

Aizawa followed the tall blonde inside with little hesitation; he closed the door behind with a soft click. When he looked up he was surprised by the apartment around him.

It was sparse, a lonely black couch sat in the middle of the room on a light tan carpet, a bookcase stood to the side covered in books that from the foreign look to the text was probably English. Other than that the room was barren.

It reminded him of his own home before he moved to campus; there his room was properly furnished (mostly by the school itself) but also because the kids had made sure to give him gifts. His house felt more like a home now and the stark contrast of his old home and new home sent a jolt through his heart.

This wasn't how the number one hero should live, retired or not. Aizawa was not necessarily a sentimental man but Toshinori had always come a crossed as one, he had expected his home to be covered in memorabilia and pictures of loved ones.

Not _this. _

A harsh wet cough drew him out of his observations and moving quickly over to the source of the noise. Toshinori doubled over as the hacks wrecked his chest; He was left wheezing and swaying once he was able to catch his breath.

Aizawa wrapped his arm around the other man's back and supported him as ex-hero led them to his bedroom. An overly large western sized bed took up the majority of the room, he paid its size little mind as he helped his friend get under the covers.

"You don't have to be here." It was soft, and said with a hollow sadness that made Shouta's chest hurt. Running pale fingers through messy tangles of blonde hair he watched the others tired eyes close.

"I didn't ask you to be" The words made him long for something he couldn't describe; people never thought that they would need to be there for All Might. He was so far out of reach who would believe such a man would need support like any other human being.

"Yeah, but you need someone right now." He leaned down, his black hair brushing against Toshinori's face, it was all the warning he got before chapped lips pressed against the overly warm skin of his companion.

"And I…I want to take care of you" Soft blue eyes peer up at him, they were searching his face. They seemed to find what they were looking for because a soft smile graced the worn out face below him.

Long tan fingers found his pale fingers and twisted together. A smile slipped onto Shouta's face in return, a promise was made, something that would need to be vocalized in the future.

For now though, the unspoken vow would be kept in the silence they shared in the darkened room of Toshinori's apartment.

He only left the other man's side to let the school know there teacher would be out of commission for another day and that Mic and Midnight would need to cover Aizawa's classes. He was met with little resistance and it was the first time in a while Shouta was ok with taking a day off.

Sitting back down in a chair that was much more comfortable then it looked he watched over the sleeping beauty of japan and smiled. He drifted off thinking of ways to convince the sunflower of a man to move on to campus with him and the kids.


End file.
